Sam & Dave Dig A Hole

My almost-3-year-old loves this book, and I enjoy it every time, too.

I know it's for children but this is quite bland. The artwork is wonderful, though.

Mac Barnett's picture book for children, "Sam and Dave Dig a Hole," is a fantastic tale of two brothers who dig a hole. They dig and they dig until they "find" something.

The illustrator tease the readers with the discoveries they are just about to make before deciding they should turn a new direction. Over and over they come closer and closer to finding some big breakthrough and then veer off course to search in a new place.

The book ends with an unexpected surprise for Sam and Dave, and their helpful dog even gets what he's after too. It is a fun and funny picture book that connects with kids intriguing them to find out what happens next.

I definitely recommend this one.

Just about as good as it gets, illustrated by the artist behind another recent classic: I Want My Hat Back. This is a hilarious story of two people and a dog, searching for treasures. My kids (4, 6, and 10) laughed out loud throughout the readings.

LOVE this book

This book is great, especially for older kids so I love reading it on school visits since it teaches about dramatic irony, which is awesome in a picture book.

Sam and Dave dig a hole through teamwork in an effort to find something extraordinary, unsure of what they will find along the way.

It was a good day when the folks at Candlewick Press sent us a review copy of Sam and Dave Dig a Hole!

The setup: It’s Monday. Sam and Dave are on a mission. They’re going to dig until they find something spectacular! They’re bringing chocolate milk and animal cookies for fuel, and their dog is coming along too. What amazing treasures will they find?

This book is so funny! It rewards the reader who pays close attention to details in the illustrations. On the first pass, you’ll get the big jokes as Sam and Dave change their strategy for digging multiple times (and ignore their dog!). But when you get to the end and realize something is very, very odd, then I bet you $5 you’ll spend the next 10 minutes or more going back through the book like a detective. A very young child might miss it, but my seven year old got it pretty quickly and was delighted with the oddity of the ending.

Klassen's books make adult readers light up with delight...and if that happens, kids are guaranteed to follow suit! Not quite as deviously wonderful as "I Want My Hat Back," and "This Is Not My Hat," but Klassen hasn't let me down yet!

Author Mac Barnett and Illustrator Jon Klassen are a terrific pair, with Klassen's quiet artwork complementing Barnett's slightly surreal humor.

Can you spot the differences at the beginning and the end of the book? Where do Sam and Dave end up? It's spectacular!

Down down down they dig. Sam and Dave pick up their shovels in the hope of uncovering something spectacular. A cat watches them depart, while a dog joins them on their quest. This treasure-finding hound tries his best to point them in the right direction, but to no avail, for these two boys are always stopping short of a gem. We are constantly tickled by the juxtaposition in these levels of awareness, for as they go further down, they just miss ever larger jewels. Finally even the dog is so exasperated that he breaks the fourth wall with his eyes. For all their trouble, Sam and Dave end up dirty, and tired. An appropriate selection of muted and earthy tones becomes darker as they progress, while a cream background stays the same to act as the contrasting factor. At this point we expect the group to dig until they hit the centre of the earth, but what actually happens is quite unexpected and, well, spectacular. For when they break through the last bit of dirt they fall through the sky, tumbling down until they finally land back at home! Or is it? Keen readers will notice subtle differences on these final pages from those in the beginning. Both the words and art are concise, but the story doesn't need much else. Space, plays a significant part in the timing, even separating clauses to mimic the action, while hue measures the depth of the hole. Sam and Dave Dig a Hole is a finely tuned example of a picture book, and a highly amusing one at that.

Playful and subversive for all ages. Klassen's illustrations provide both the real story and humorous contrast with the text.

Caldecott winners Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen ("Extra Yarn") have once again teamed up to produce a striking and delightful story that deftly balances what the characters know with what the reader knows.

As the story opens, brothers Sam and Dave along with their observant dog resolve to “find something spectacular.” They begin digging a hole and almost reach a sizable gem before deciding to switch directions. They turn right, then split up and go opposite ways, all the while narrowly bypassing increasingly enormous gems while their dog grows more and more perplexed. Exhausted, the boys eventually fall asleep then suddenly fall through the dirt, into the air and back to the yard where the adventure began.

But the seemingly anticlimactic end reveals more to keen-eyed readers as subtle differences exist between the opening page and the final spread: the chicken weather vane has become a duck; the potted flower has changed in appearance and the apple tree now bears pears. Ultimately, "Sam and Dave Dig a Hole" makes kids laugh as well as think. Was their exploit merely a dream? Did they discover an alternate reality? Regardless of the answers, this deceptively simple book harbours more than meets the eye.

This is one of those books that begs to be read with someone on your lap so that someone can see what's really going on!